What is currently holding you back from ordaining?
How long have you been practicing Buddhism?
How old are you (not really relevant, just curious)?
Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there?
When do you hope to ordain?

1. - Debt, family, pets, and a lack of complete conviction.
2. - Four years
3. - 25
4. - Wat Metta would be first inclination, however, with a new monastery being built in Virginia in the Thai Forest Tradition, that would probably be higher up on my list, because the climate/mountains I feel would serve me better than the desert.
5. - Lately I've felt "ASAP!", but I suppose there is still a part of me that is not 100% settled in with the Forest Tradition, or maybe it's something else? Within five years though is my idea.

What is currently holding you back from ordaining?
- Parents, girlfriend, the idea that the "resistance" I would have to face in order to ordain might make live more difficult while I can achieve good results as a lay practitioner without such resistance (just more slowly... maybe good for my khanti-parami...)

How long have you been practicing Buddhism?
- 7 years of true dedicated meditation practice and retreats
How old are you (not really relevant, just curious)?
- 29
Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there?
- Wat Chong Kham, Thailand, my meditation teacher is abbot there

When do you hope to ordain?
- I ordain every meditation retreat, for 4-8 weeks... Maybe sometime in the future I will have the possibility ordain for the full rains retreat every year ... Or if my situation changes drastically I will become monk for this life-time
- by the way, the thing that (in my opinion) you can do when ordained that you can't do if lay is getting sila-parami and as may teacher says "many stop desire" . This definately aides my concentration meditation!

sekha silapada wrote:To those who hope to or are planning to ordain:
1. What is currently holding you back from ordaining?
2. How long have you been practicing Buddhism?
3. How old are you (not really relevant, just curious)?
4. Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there?
5. When do you hope to ordain?

1. Nothing, I'm waiting and preparing to ordain.
2. Over 3 years.
3. 26
4. & 5.
Where & When? If everything goes according to planned, I'm will be going to Amaravati Monastery for one month in April. From then onwards, we will see how it goes.
Why? Closest to me and it's better prepared for ordination of new monks in comparison with the newly founded monastery here in Portugal.

To those who hope to or are planning to ordain:
What is currently holding you back from ordaining? i want to incline my mind more towards renunciation of pleasures
How long have you been practicing Buddhism? 6 years
How old are you (not really relevant, just curious)? 27
Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there? bhavana society or abhayagiri because they are in the states
When do you hope to ordain? hopefully next year january first im going to practice the 8 precepts for one year to see how i handle somewhat of a
monastic lifestyle

While California does have deserts (Death Valley for one), Wat Metta is located in an avocado orchard in semi-rural Southern Cal...

Yes, and it's wonderful there! I visited this last april, and do think I would enjoy it there. I did have an inkling of a thought that I would ordain there one day... I do however feel much more at home and content in deep woods with tall trees, bears, foxes, and deer, snow, etc. I encountered three rattlesnakes at Wat Metta, I felt a little out of my element. But... Maybe going out of my element would serve me better than staying where I'm comfortable? I also know that my family would be much happier if I was only 2 hours away, and they could visit, instead of across the country.

Monasticism has been on my mind since I was 16 (I'm 24 now). I remember a few years (~4) ago at the Bhavana society I was talking to Ayya Sudhamma about when to ordain, and she told me something which was seemed very obvious and straight-forward at the time, but only now a few years later fully grasped the truth of what she was saying. She said it is often best to ordain as soon as possible, because as time goes on life gets in the way- you need to pay off student debt, you have the desire to use the degree you spent 4 years working on, you find a spouse, you have children, etc etc. At the time I thought "well, with me it'll be different! I just want to see what college is like/gain the experience college gives, plus I need time to figure out how to face my family about my desire to ordain. After college I'll just spend 2-3 years working, and hopefully by then I'll have the courage to ordain in the face of overall family disapproval. Then I'll ordain."

Obviously, Ven. Sudhamma was right, life got in the way. Over time I became more entrenched in maya, to the point where today it is less feasible in most regards to ordain than it was when I was 19/20. However, I'm in a position where I have few responsibilities to take care of (primarily student debt), so I hope that within a few years I'll have everything paid off and will then ordain. Right now I get to use this time to prepare, for example by developing the paramitas and working to destroy my mental hindrances.

As for where I'd like to eventually ordain, probably Aranya Bodhi, as I feel the teachers there are quite insightful. If I have the funds/ability Dhammasara monastery in Australia is also a place I'm interested in ordaining at.

Decided it would only be fair to discuss my reasons for writing after you all took the time to respond!

Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there?

One/Any of the Ajahn Chah Monasteries. Been to Wat Pah Nanachat once, Dhammapala, Ratanagiri several times. I feel at home.

When do you hope to ordain?

Better: when do I hope to become resident at a monastery. This year . When I will be suitable for ordination is up to others to decide then.

Get the wanting out of waiting

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.
Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko

I am not planning, I am just thinking deeply about it. But I really Hope this possibility to be ordained.

What is currently holding you back from ordaining?

Currently, It is the lack of experience, some little doubts, but nothing so serious. And I have no money to plan an ordination ( travel etc.). Also, I have an Intermediate level in english, I want have a Good english spoken before any future ordination. Ps: I'm French.

How long have you been practicing Buddhism?

Around 1-2 years ago ... but I meditate less often than I'd like.

How old are you (not really relevant, just curious)?

I am 17.

Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there?

I would like to be ordained in a Thai forest meditation center somewhere in Thailand. But I am not yet Sure about it. Maybe I'll change of ideas. I like the buddhist community in Thailand.

What is currently holding you back from ordaining?
Nothing. But before the decision I thought a lot about my parents and my pets.

How long have you been practicing Buddhism?
Seriously, about 3 years.

How old are you (not really relevant, just curious)?
29

Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there?
I sent a letter to Wat Pah Nanachat. I intend to ordain there, because it is more appropriate for westerners. I chose Thailand because I want to have the experience of living in a Buddhist country (the lay community is very active there) to learn as much as I can, because in the future I intend to come back to my motherland with good knowledge to share with the Brazilian Theravada Community which is very small. Well, I'm pretty happy with the decision and I hope I can make a good use of the monastic life not only for me, but for the benefit of others.

When do you hope to ordain?
It will depend on me. I hope asap, but only time will tell. If everything goes well I will travel in November.

To those who hope to or are planning to ordain:
What is currently holding you back from ordaining? Travel money, debt, I also need more practice.
How long have you been practicing Buddhism? 3 years.
How old are you (not really relevant, just curious)? 26.
Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there? Thailand. It's warm and their practice some good.
When do you hope to ordain? Before I'm 30.

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." ~ Siddhārtha, Gautama Buddha

sekha silapada wrote:Out of curiosity, I have some questions that I hope you may take the time to answer

To those who hope to or are planning to ordain:
What is currently holding you back from ordaining?
How long have you been practicing Buddhism?
How old are you (not really relevant, just curious)?
Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there?
When do you hope to ordain?

money, need to gather and save some money.

around 2 years of practice.

21 years old

yes, i am considering ordaining in Pa Auk Monastery, if it is possible. i would like to ordain there because i feel the strongest connection to there out of all the forest monastery traditions. and i also like the idea of devoting to the path of purification or visshuddimagga.

i hope to go the Pa Auk Monastery before next summer and we'll see how it goes from there.

What is currently holding you back from ordaining?
- Debt pending mortgage of a house in an European country sinked in the financial crisis).
- My mother is in Europe, and she is too old to travel to Thailand. Besides visiting her, she may need care in the future.
- Body weakness. I'm not able to sit on the floor (in any posture) for more than 30 minutes without resting my back.
- Thai spicy food. How long have you been practicing Buddhism?
- 15 yearsHow old are you (not really relevant, just curious)?
48Do you have a particular place you would like to ordain? If so, where, and why there?
In the forest. But although I’ve been leaving 4 years in Thailand, I still haven’t certainly decided it.When do you hope to ordain?
Before I die

Last edited by suriyopama on Thu Nov 07, 2013 1:48 am, edited 1 time in total.